Even if you do that, which is stupid because "and 1's" aren't extra attempts, he's still better than Kobe, Melo, Wade, and is the same as Curry(actually still better than Curry but by a negligible amount). Factor in and1's and take them out of the extra attempts and I'm guessing he edges out Curry by more than that negligible amount.
No! We should trade Harden for DeMarcus Cousins & 2pat. Actually screw DeMarcus Cousins, we just need 2pat back!
I fully support Harden in this debate, however I would like to point out one thing. People keep talking about how Harden scores X amount of points on Y amount of shots compared to Curry. You need to think of it less in terms of shots and more in terms of possessions used. A shot is a possession used, and getting fouled and going to the line is a possession used. TS% accounts for this (though I'm not exactly how it weights the difference between and-ones and going to the line for 2) If Harden got fouled every time he took a shot and none of his shots went in he would have however many points on 0 field goal attempts. His PPS would be infinity, obviously that makes no sense. Just throwing that out there, but yeah, Curry's great, Harden's greater.
And1/game from Hoopdata Harden 0.93 Curry 0.26 ---------------- Difference is 0.67 FTA/game <PRE> Player FGA FTA TOV PTS Curry 17.8 3.7 3.1 22.9 Harden 17.1 10.2 3.8 25.9 </PRE> Calculating offensive possessions used by both players per game: FGA + TOV + (FTA - And1/game)/2 Harden: 17.1 + 3.8 + (10.2-0.93)/2 = 25.5 Curry: 17.8 + 3.1 + (3.7-0.26)/2 = 22.6 Points/possession: Harden: 25.9/25.5 = 1.016 Curry: 22.9/22.6 = 1.013 Conclusion: Both players are almost identical in points/offensive possession. However, if you consider defensive end, Curry has a slight edge over Harden. Curry is slightly below average defender while Harden is below average.
Let's not making excuses for Harden's play. The Rockets gave him 3 days off before the end of season and he came back doing the same boneheaded plays. He's been a disappointment thus far in the playoff while Curry's shined. KD sacrificing his body diving into the stands andinto scores table and people on here making excuses saying Harden's tired Ask Durant if he's tired? Ask Lebron if he's tired? That excuse sounds pathetic at this point
I take Harden over Curry without any hesitation, Harden only needs a better coach and a better pf...........
REPPED! moreover, nobody is asking from him to score from isos or impossible isos...just to play like normal basketball player SG off the ball..he is more dangerous off the ball...everybody knows that... and other players as well...this way we are way too predictable
You are clueless. Please stop. IT'S BEEN FOUR GAMES. Jeremy Lin was one of the top 5 players in the NBA for a stretch more than double that. Do you think Lin is a top 5 player? It's not excuses; it's the reality. Judging players on a sample that small is mind-boggling stupid. Second, I don't think asking if Durant is tired now is an appropriate comparison. Let's ask him if he was tired in 2010, when he had the weight of the Thunder on his shoulders in his first alpha-dog playoff appearance as a No. 8 seed going up against the No. 1. What happened? Oh, he shot 35% from the field, had more turnovers than assists and his team lost. THAT GUY SUCKS!!! P.S. The kind of tired Harden is isn't something you can fix in three days. The guy has basically played non-stop basketball since Christmas 2011 and is in his first year as a high-usage option on a playoff team. If Harden is worn down, and I suspect he is, it's the kind of tired you need months to fix -- not a couple of days.
The Cat is just laying the wood to folks. Harden is tired from us riding him like a donkey all year. We will fix that in the off-season.
Exactly. It'll be especially good for him to have summertime off. His legs probably feel like wood. Many of us said it at the beginning of the season and throughout: you can't put everything on one guy for 38 mpg in a high-octane offense and not wear him out. We're lucky it's just some tread off the tires because any more wear and tear and you're talking major breakdown. But enough lame metaphors. I suspect our 2013-14 roster will significantly help out James Harden. Now, will this current or new coach continue using him 38 mpg anyway ("he's a young man, he can play heavy minutes" - Any NBA Coach Not Named Popovich; see also, McHale, Kevin; Thibodeau, Tom)? There's the question.
The same way Kwame Brown did his first year as a starter. Or a slew of other NBA players. Im not saying Harden definitely has...its conceivable though. His complete ole-ing and no interest in D or hustle or team play does kinda shed a light though.
Just curious if you allow this same excuse to be used for other players like a Lin Or even Parsons. Harden averaged good minutes the last few years. And his do nothing at all effort on D should oofkept him fresher than Parsons or Lin.
Also factor in that Curry is a superior passer/playmaker, less turnover prone and less selfish. Everyone gives Harden the "unselfish" tag but from what I've seen especially as of late he's quite the opposite. Freezes out teammates during important minutes in crunch time trying to play hero and bricking his ISO contested 3's. Worst thing is that he says he'll continue to do it. Everyone criticized Atlanta under Woodson for its "ISO Joe" offense in the past, well now the Rockets have "ISO Harden." Same thing, marginally better player.
Curry is a shooter. Harden does so much more. Harden has skills that should allow him to score when his shot isn't falling. Once he matures a little more he'll start utilizing that more often. I do believe he's been a little hurt since feb though. He hasn't been the same. Hopefully he can get fully healthy in the off season.
Curry got intimidated last night when Den got physical...played a poor game. Keane Brown? Are you kidding me? Poor work ethic, unintelligent bball IQ, and I'm sure a million other reasons that have nothing to do with Harden. If you don't agree with The Cat, you're wrong here
